Two Worlds Collide

Chapter 3

Ava dragged herself out of bed, putting together an appropriate outfit:

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=60130078

Ava started her usual early morning shift on Sunday, yawning constantly as she did the morning feeds. For some reason, she had barely been able to sleep since the concert. She kept having...Dreams. They weren't bad dreams, oh no not at all. They were amazing dreams.
She and Adam would just be talking, and then he would lean in closer and closer, until his lips were on hers. She only got so far to when she was beginning to take his shirt off that she would force herself to wake up and snap out of it.
He was a superstar in a huge spotlight of fame and was constantly around beautiful women and spent his nights on a huge stage in front of thousands.
She was a small town vet that worked in San Francisco, spent her time rescuing her dare devil cat George from life threatening situations and lost her slippers all the time.
There was a bit of a difference between the two of them.
So now, she was making sure that she thought about anything but Adam. It was one night. One night of accidentally bumping into each other. He probably had a girlfriend anyways. How many hot rocker guys like him walk around through the music business without a girlfriend?
No one. That's who.
So she was throwing herself into her work more than usual, and was offering herself up to watch Peyton for Macy when she had to work nights while catering and he wasn't at daycare.
She was even thinking of adopting Zeus. It would have to come a lot later on in his recovery, and she knew that there was probably a family out there waiting to have him...But she had to have him. He was the perfect puppy. Didn't bite, didn't chew on fabric, was the perfect temperament and was the most gentle and loving dog she had ever treated.
Sure, a dog would mean more costs. But she was a a vet! No need for vet bills when she could do all the work herself. Then again, there was also the dog food and immunizations and the costs of having him live with her. But she loved him so much.
It was so early...She was the only one in the clinic. They were opening in ten minutes, and that would be when Jean would arrive to start taking calls.
Sure enough, ten minutes later while Ava filled up the waters for the cats, the door chimed and Jean called out.
“Ava! Sweet heart! I’m here!” Ava was a bit like an older aunt to Ava. She was very funny and wise being in her mid fifties. She knew how to deal with panicked and scared people while their pets went into surgery, and the angry ones on the phone making all sorts of demands. Jean had to be one of the calmest people Ava knew, if not the most calm. She just took everything in stride. Never worried. Ava wished she could be more like that and not worry so much..Especially when it came to finding the elusive 'one' involving love.
“Hey Jean! I’m making coffee! Want any?” Ava called back as she moved from the room of cats to the staff room. She washed her hands thoroughly before she went to the machine.
“If you wouldn't mind, honey,” Jean replied.
“Of course not Jean,” Ava said easily as she poured two steaming cups for them. She added cream and sugar and stirred before heading out and setting it on Jean's desk full of grand children and her three daughters and one son, as well as her husband Hank. Ava thought they were the cutest couple alive.
“Thank you dear,” Jean said, taking the cup into her grasp.
Ava nodded and then thought before she said, “Jean, there's something I need your advice on.” she said and Jean nodded, taking a sip.
“Sure honey, fire away.” she encouraged as Ava sighed.
“Well, it has to do with a guy.” Ava began and this got Jean more interested right away. She laughed uneasily as Jean looked at her with big brown eyes. “I met him once, and he seemed so nice and kind. Very funny, really charming. And very attractive,” Ava blushed as Jean giggled. “But the thing is...Is that we come from two completely different backgrounds. He dates big time models and stuff and is actually part of a really popular band. I might never see him again..But do you think it's worth trying to get in touch?” she asked.
Jean, almost always answered a question with a question. And this time she did not disappoint. “How did he make you feel?”
“What?” asked Ava, baffled.
“How did he make you feel honey? There has to be more than just a curiosity...There has to be a spark. You know? That's how it worked with Hank and I. I met him when I was fifteen on the dance floor. Spilt my punch all over the floor. At first I was mad because I thought he was a total goon for not watching where he was going. And he argued back...And it was the fact he was just as fierce that made me fall for him. He challenged me. Made me feel...Invigorated.” Jean went on dreamily. “How did he make you feel?” she repeated. “Think.”
Ava did just that. She thought back to that moment. How still the air was, the sound of distant cars, the dripping of water from the roof to the pavement. The wisps of breath that danced out as they spoke. She felt....
“Interested. I wanted to find out more about him..He made me feel nervous, really nervous. Kind of like my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth..And my stomach was doing flips. And his smile made me want to faint. When he laughed I felt like the most special person in the world...” Ava explained, not aware of how detailed she was being. She would have stopped herself if this was anyone but Jean, but since it was she carried on. “He had this really cute crooked smile that he always had when we were talking. And it seemed like he was actually interested in me..I mean I’ve never felt like a guy just wants to get to know me. Just not get with me. Like he would much rather sit and have a coffee and talk, than go back to my place.” she said. She let her eyes go back to Jean who was smiling brightly. “What is it?”
“Oh sweetie.....You have fallen hard.” Jean smirked as Ava gasped.
“Jean!” she exclaimed.
“It's true!” Jean insisted. “You've met this boy once and he made you feel all that? Gosh, I’d like to know how you made him feel...” she trailed and Ava laughed, blushing.
“Probably not all that much Jean, not too much.” Ava looked to her coffee and took a sip. When she put her cup down she was met with the disapproving look of Jean.
“Ava sweetheart, when will you ever see yourself clearly?” asked Jean, almost in a sad way.
Ava shrugged. “That's unknown.” she answered as Jean glowered.
“You don't realize just how great your are. And I think that's why people like you so much. No one can't not like you. At least anyone I’ve seen you meet. You're way too likeable because you're so clueless hun.” Jean explained as Ava sighed and looked back to her coffee.
“I guess we'll never know when I clue in, will we?” asked Ava and Jean narrowed her eyes.
“I think that a guy like the one you speak of could make you see it. You know, fate has a funny way of working out Ava.” Jean said, turning on her computer and putting on her headset over her greying blonde hair. “Just wait and see.”

It was about and hour or so later, and people were coming in with their pets, keeping Ava and her staff plenty busy. The slow gap came, which was between eleven and one, when people were having lunch, and Ava was filling out a cat named Zoey's medical report. But as her pen wrote in cursive writing, she heard an all too familiar voice.
“Excuse me,” a guy said as she scribbled down some more notes. She looked up and was shocked. It was Adam. “Wow,” he said laughing. “This is...This is weird.” he said and she laughed a little.
“Yeah...” she trailed. “Is stalking your fans a habit of yours?” she asked and he shook his head, humoured.
“It's usually the other way around...But no.” he said and she laughed. “Does that mean your a fan and you're stalking me? How do I know you aren't just pretending to be a vet?” he asked and she shrugged.
“Well, you don't know.” she winked and he chuckled. “But, I guess you'll find out sooner or later that I actually am and this whole thing is real...” she trailed and pointed to her white vet coat which had the name Dr. A Collins sewn into it.
“The A stands for Ava I’m guessing?” he asked and she nodded.
“Yup.” she confirmed and then heard a whine. She looked over the counter to see a fluffy golden lab at Adam's side. “What's wrong with this pretty girl?” asked Ava, coming around the counter to examine the dog.
Adam looked down to her. “That's the thing... I don't actually know. I got home last night and she wouldn't eat and was drinking like crazy...” he explained.
Ava gently put her hands on different parts of the dog, feeling for any abnormalities carefully.
“Well she's definitely bloated. I’d say worms. But just to be sure, could you bring her around the back?” she asked looking up and Adam nodded.
“Sure thing..Doc.” he said and she laughed, standing.
“Do not even get me started.” she said shaking her head as she lead the way around to the back room where they kept all the x-ray equipment.
When reaching the room, Ava lifted Adam's dog up onto the examination table easily, where she laid down.
“What's her name?” she asked.
“Frankie.” answered Adam and she nodded.
“Right, okay so lets get this...” she trailed, getting the radiation coat and placing it over Frankie, and then handed one to Adam which he put on. Ava put one on herself before taking a small remote into her hand and adjusting several lights.
“How long have you been a vet?” Adam asked.
“About four years.” Ava answered, still adjusting the lighting.
“And how long did it take you to finish school?” he asked .
“Seven.” she replied and he whistled.
“You spent seven years in hell just to do this?” he asked and she gave a laugh, nodding.
“I say that to myself sometimes too. You don't think there's much needed when you're a vet. Maybe three or four years tops, but there's so much more you learn.” she said. “I mean, I did an extra year so I basically qualify to be a human doctor too. Not totally qualified, but I know enough I could be considered one in an emergency.” she explained to him as she stood beside him and pressed the remote a few times. She looked to him, and met his eyes which made her almost stop talking. “What were you gonna do if the whole music thing didn't work out?”

He shrugged. “I went to a school where everyone was planning to be a doctor or a lawyer. And then I was the crazy kid who wanted to do music. They were all like, 'oh look over there. That's the fucking idiot who wants to do music instead of law school, ha ha ha,'” he chuckled as she laughed a bit, picturing him in high school. “I think I still would have wound up doing something in music, even if it wasn't the performing part.” he told her as she nodded.
“Well at least you always knew what you wanted to do,” she pointed out as a printer whirred to their left.
“Didn't you?” he asked and she sighed.
“No, not really. I changed my mind a lot. At first I wanted to be a musician, like you,” she said and he smiled, nodding. “Then I wanted to be a writer when I was in the ninth grade. Then when I got to grade ten I thought maybe an artist,” she went on and he was laughing at how long her list was. “But then!” she proceeded to finish with a laugh. “I thought about something that I had always, always loved, and that was animals.” she said.
“Why animals?” he asked and she shrugged.
“I grew up on a farm with my family, which was big. And I was always taking care of the animals. You know, feeding the horses and the chickens, rounding up the cattle and training the sheep dogs..” she trailed, thinking back. “I guess i just had to go back to what I’d always loved.”
“Well at least it panned out for you,” he said and she nodded, going to the printer.
“Yeah, I know there are tons of people who haven't gotten to do their dream job.” she said sadly. “I'm lucky that I can.” she said pulling the special paper from the printer and then hanging them up against an illuminated board. She pulled the radiation coat off of Frankie and then herself before she hung them up, and took Adam's as well.
She looked to the X-rays while Adam stroked Frankie's head. “Yeah,” she nodded. “Looks like I was right. Worms,” she pointed to the small looking squiggles in Frankie's abdomen. “It can be life threatening, but looks like there are only a few of them and they're all babies, meaning we caught it early. I’d say if you keep treating her she should be just fine.” she smiled, turning back to him before petting her head.
Frankie sighed in Ava's hand, closing her eyes as Ava giggled. “She's really sweet,” she commented.
“She is. Loves people.” Adam agreed.
“I had a dog like that. Loved people and got super excited whenever we took him out. But he got sick, and we had to put him down when I was twelve.” she told him. “I actually hated vets back then. I thought they were the worst people in the world because they killed my animal.” she chuckled sadly as Adam listened while she pet Frankie still. “But I just didn't understand that there was nothing else they could do for him. He was better off like that instead of being alive.” she sighed as they were both quiet.
“And, you never got another dog after that?” he asked and she shook her head, her pony tail falling over one shoulder.
“No, we did. They were all sheep dogs though. I stopped training them and instead my brother did it with my dad. I was never really close with any of the dogs after that. Timber was always my dog. My puppy. And then he was just gone. I never really got over it.” she explained, looking up to him for the first time. Adam was still fixed on Frankie, his hand still resting on her back gently. “But, i should probably get Frankie's meds.” she said, shaking herself out of the past and into the now.
Ava walked past Adam and into the room full of pills and prescriptions of all sorts and she found the bottle of worms medication. She printed the label, directing how many pills to give Frankie and such before returning to Adam.
“Here you go,” she said, handing them over. “That should be good enough for about two weeks before you need to fill in another prescription.” she told him as he took the bottle and looked down at it.
“Two weeks huh?” he asked and she nodded, pointing to the lettering on the label.
“Yep, it's right there.” she laughed a little as Adam nodded to himself.
“Well what if I don't want to wait that long?” he asked, looking up and into her eyes which were confused.
“I-I don't know what you mean.” she said, trying to make herself calm down so she wouldn't trip over her words anymore than she already was.
“I mean I don't want to have to wait two weeks,” he began with a crooked smile, “to see you again.” he finished as she clued in.
Ava's cheeks warmed up as she blushed and looked down.
“So, that being said, are you free anytime soon? If you aren't totally packed with saving animals that is.” he added in and she laughed nervously.
“I could check my calendar.” she said with a nod, walking out. She glanced at the paper full of all the worker's shifts and saw she was free on Tuesday. She returned. “How's Tuesday?” she asked as she helped him lower Frankie down onto the floor.
“Tuesday sounds great.” he said looking down at her with a glint of something in his eyes. Ava couldn't put her finger on it though. “We could meet for coffee,” he suggested and she chuckled.
“Can a guy like you go out for coffee now a days or is that still too out of reach?” she asked with a smirk and he shook his head.
“I know a place.” he said mysteriously and she giggled.
“I get off at noon,” she told him as they started walking out of the back area towards the front.
Ava was surprised to find the area packed with people as Adam replied over the chatter.
“Okay, I’ll pick you up from here?” he asked and she nodded.
“Sure!” she answered over the noise. She patted Frankie's head again. “See you later cutie.” she smiled, before waving goodbye to Adam as he left.
Jean called Ava over. “Your first customer is there,” she looked to a burly man with a young distressed daughter who held a cage with a rabbit in it. The girl was crying a bit as the dad stood with his arms crossed angrily.
“Lovely,” Ava muttered before putting on a smile and walking over.